


Snapshots

by The_shadows_of_my_mind



Category: Star Trek
Genre: 100 prompt challenge, Angst, Cute, First Kiss, First Time, Fluff, Hurt!Jim, Jokes at Spirk, M/M, No mpreg, Occasional crew camios, Sick!Jim, Tiny bit OOC, hurt!Bones, in progress, sick!Bones, slight AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-04-05
Updated: 2015-05-28
Packaged: 2018-01-18 06:51:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 18,485
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1418928
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_shadows_of_my_mind/pseuds/The_shadows_of_my_mind
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>No one said being in a relationship with Kirk was going to be easy, but McCoy has always enjoyed a little challenge before his victories. One-hundred moments, starting at an introduction and ending with vows. Some chapters may include more mature subject mater, significant warnings will be given at the beginning of these chapters.</p><p>As of chapter 20, will be on a hiatus. End date undetermined.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Love

**Author's Note:**

> I do believe that a quick explanation is in need for this series. This is the 100 prompt challenge, something I felt would be a good idea to do. However, this series isn’t going to be a weekly or bi-weekly thing, but rather something along the lines of “I’ll post when I have an idea for it” kind of thing. Each prompt will take up one chapter, and some will be very short, while some may be longer. Also, some of the prompts will be linked together, and those that are should be fairly obvious. So, as I’ve nothing left to say...Let’s begin.

There was very little Leonard McCoy loved from his old life. He still loved his drinks, and quiet afternoons spent doing nothing. But these were only things, because Leonard had no room for human love anymore, apart from his daughter, though he only saw her at most three times a year. Joanna was the only thing that made him happy when he thought about his past, but the thoughts that came with it were less than pleasant.

Jocelyn had been her name. Leonard thought he had loved her, and she thought she had loved him. At the beginning it had been perfect, almost a fairy tale relationship. There were no fights, no anger, nothing at all that would have hinted at the fact that everything was about to fall apart. It had started with Leonard’s drinking. Work had been getting stressful, and the doctor had needed something to calm his nerves. He’d had a drink with dinner, maybe one when he first got home. Leonard knew that Jocelyn wasn’t a fan of his drinking, but she was putting up with it for his sake.

Then it moved onto the lack of communication. With Leonard working almost all of the time, and Jocelyn taking a new teaching position, the two almost never saw each other. They’d kiss briefly in the morning, and then rush off to their respective jobs. Come night, both of them were simply exhausted and would collapse into bed without so much as an _“I love you”_.

Joanna’s birth had been a saving grace, at least for a few years. It brought both mother and father together again, reminding each of them why they had fallen in love in the first place. Leonard stopped drinking to be a better father to Joanna, and both he and Jocelyn had taken shorter hours to spend more time together as a family. Joanna had brought them together again, but it wouldn’t last forever.

Years went by and as Joanna got older, Leonard and Jocelyn had begun to spread apart again. The drinking returned, followed by the lack of communication. Just before Joanna turned seven, Jocelyn pulled Leonard aside to speak with him in the first time in months. She stared talking, but Leonard only heard one thing.

_“I don’t love you anymore. I think you should go._ ” The words echoed around his mind as Jocelyn looked at him expectantly. He nodded dumbly, walking through the house up to their shared room. Joanna was on dancing around him as he packed, asking where he was going and why mommy wasn’t going with him. Leonard could only shake his head and sling his small duffle over his shoulder, leaning down to kiss his daughter on the forehead before walking from the house. Months later and the papers were signed. Everything, including Joanna, belonged to Jocelyn. Leonard was out on his own, with nothing but the clothing on his back and his duffle. That was when he decided that he didn’t need anyone else’s love, that he was perfectly fine on his own.

However, that was all before he met Kirk. Wonderful, horrible, captain of being a pain in the ass James Tiberius Kirk.


	2. Truth Be Told

The first time Leonard had met Kirk was on the shuttle to the Academy. Even in his slightly intoxicated state, the doctor had been able to tell that the younger man was a ball of trouble. Just the way he looked at the women on the craft, his charming smile and easy going attitude. Leonard completely hated him the first time he laid eyes on the man.

On the other hand, Kirk thought that the drunk man sitting next to him was rather amusing...Despite the whole "not good with flying and space" thing. Why had he signed up for the Academy if he was scared of space? Then again, it wasn't Kirk's position to be asking these sorts of things, especially when the two had just met.

As soon as they had landed, both of the two men had gone their different ways. Leonard would occasionally see Kirk sprinting down the halls, laughing and jeering over his shoulder at a group of men who were, presumably, the boyfriends of whatever girls Kirk had thought it wise to seduce. Leonard would always step out of the way, watching with a slightly amused smirk as the blond raced by him, vanishing around a corner to the sound of curses and threats.

One day, Leonard was laying face down in bed, a neglected PADD laying on next to him. There was a sudden hammering on his door, panicked shouting on the other side as someone tried to wiggle the locked door open. Frowning in confusion, Leonard pushed himself to his feet and crossed the empty dorm, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"Yes?" He grumbled as he opened the door, squinting against the light of the halls. He barely had time to register who was standing in front of him before the figure pushed their way into the room, trying to shut the door behind them.

"Close the door! Close it!" A familiar voice demanded. Leonard frowned, obeying without question. 

"What the hell are you doing in my room kid?" He growled once his eyes adjusted once more to the dark and he realized exactly who was standing in front of him. James T. Kirk was standing in front of him, and with no shirt to boot. 

"Hiding." Kirk replied matter-of-factly, folding his arms over his chest and grinning slyly. Leonard rolled his eyes and walked back to his bed, scooping up the PADD and turning it off. 

"Well hide somewhere else." 

"Are you kidding? They'll tear me to pieces!"

"Well then maybe you'll learn not to mess with their girls." Kirk scoffed and crossed the room, plonking down next to Leonard and stretching out on the bed with a content hum. "What the hell kid? Get off."

"Let me stay here! Please Bones?" Leonard blinked, slightly taken aback by the name.

"Bones?" He frowned, quickly forgetting about what they had just been speaking about. Kirk smirked triumphantly and nodded.

"Yeah, Bones. Ya know 'All I got left is my bones'?" The younger man smirked, curling up and making himself at home. Leonard just stared dumbly down at him, unable to form a complete sentence. 

Truth be told, the first time he had really talked to Kirk, Leonard had decided that he simply hated the charming young man, but couldn't think of a reason to get rid of him.


	3. Wait, What?

Kirk had made a habit of using Leonard's room as safe house, ducking in every few days to hide out. Leonard didn't pay any attention to the boy, only moving to open the door before returning to his studies or nap. Kirk would make himself at home, lounging on the floor or wandering around, pawing through Leonard's things. The doctor would easily ignore him, having pointed out that if the younger man made any sort of noise that was even slightly annoying; he would toss him out into the hall and leave him to the anger of whoever Kirk had pissed off that time. After only having to enforce this rule once, Leonard hadn't had any real trouble from Kirk. Apart from the one time the young man showed up in the middle of the night, drunk off his ass and rambling on about how it _“wasn’t his fault she had been wearing such a low cut top”._ Leonard had responded by locking Kirk in the washroom and letting the drunken man calm down and shut up before sending him on his way.

Leonard lay on his back in bed, the covers thrown off his chest and draped over his waist. His shirt had long since been discarded in favor of the cool air in his dorm. He had gotten into bed a couple hours before, but had been completely unable to sleep. His mind was a whirlwind of thoughts, ranging from the tests he had coming up in the next few days, to the day he found out he lost the custody battle for Joanna. Before Leonard had the chance to roll over and start sulking, there was a soft and almost hesitant knock at his door. 

Grumbling, the doctor pushed himself to his feet and crossed the room, trying to rub the sleep from his eyes as he wrenched open the door. 

"Whaddya want?" He growled, squinting against the all-too-bright lights in the hall, trying to figure out who had gotten him out of the warmth of his bed. He blinked and looked down slightly, the idea of trying to sleep slipping away as he caught sight of exactly who stood in front of him. Kirk glanced up to meet Leonard’s gaze, one arm wrapped around his stomach and the other holding a tissue to his bleeding nose. 

"Hey Bones...Can I come in?" He asked softly, looking almost pleadingly at the older man. Leonard nodded dumbly, watching in confusion as Kirk shuffled in, fell back into Leonard’s bed and closed his eyes with a low groan.

"’The hell happened to you kid?" Leonard asked, finally finding his voice as he crossed the room. In the weeks that he had known Kirk, he had never seen the kid get caught, never mind beat up like this. He was vaguely concerned about the small drops of blood Kirk was getting on his bed, but there were obviously more pressing matters. When the younger man didn't respond, Leonard sighed and walked back to the bed, grabbing the small first-aid kit he kept in case of emergencies. He commanded the lights up as he walked back to Kirk, his eyes already scanning the younger man's injuries. He neglected to grab his shirt again, sitting down next to Kirk and putting a hand on the man's shoulder.  

“Kid, I can’t help you if you go all mute on me." Kirk snorted and opened his eyes, forcing himself to sit up.  

"Funny, I thought you liked me quiet." 

"Cute kid, cute. Now start talking or I ain't helping you." Leonard frowned, setting the kit down beside him and rummaging through it. Kirk watched him curiously for a moment before shaking his head and looking up with a small hum. 

"Got jumped and kicked out of my dorm." He replied with a small shrug, sending a jolting pain through his shoulder. The younger man gritted his teeth and muttered a soft curse, tipping his head back and taking several deep breaths. 

"Wait...What?" Leonard frowned, his hands freezing. Kirk rocked his head slightly, giving the older man a look that said _"You heard me_." Clearing his throat, Leonard nodded and pulled his hands from the box, placing one on the top of Jim's shoulder and his other on the side. "And how'd you manage that?" He asked, feeling around for a moment to make sure the joint hadn't been dislocated in whatever fight the younger man had been in.

"People got pissed off so they ah...Teamed up with my former roommate and tossed me out. Though...Maybe tossed isn't the right word to use." Leonard couldn't help himself but chuckle, dropping his hands once he was satisfied that nothing had been dislocated.

"Serves you right in my opinion." He shrugged, pulling some gauze from the pack and gingerly moving Kirk's hand out of the way of his nose, checking to make it wasn't broken and that the bleeding had stopped. The two fell into silence, Kirk having nothing to say, and Leonard not wanting to say anything. The doctor finished patching Kirk up, nodding contently. As he pushed himself to his feet and began cleaning up, Kirk stood and began making his way to the door.

"Where you goin' kid?"

"To find somewhere to sleep." Kirk replied without turning. Leonard watched him leave the room and turn down the hall, frowning slightly. Before the door had the chance to close, the older man jogged over and pulled it open, leaning out into the hall. 

"Hey, Kirk!" He called after him. The younger man paused, poking his head out from around the corner he had just turned. "Get back here." Frowning in confusion, Kirk made his way back to the room, shifting from foot to foot as he stood outside the door. Leonard shook his head with a sigh and stepped aside, allowing Kirk into the room. "I'll send for a second bed in the morning. You're stuck on the floor tonight."

Kirk stood silently, frowning up at Leonard as his mind visibly worked to try and figure out what had happened. There wereseveral moments of silence, confused blue eyes looking up to meet amused brown. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Kirk spoke again.

"Wait...What?”


	4. Want

There was nothing else in the world that Jim wanted more than to be normal.

He had been born in space, seconds after his father waskilled saving hundreds of lives. After that, he hadlived alone with a distant mother, who couldn't look at him without tearing up and hurrying from the room. And when she got re-married, Kirk had spent years under the tyrannical reign of an abusive step-father. After being shipped off to Tarsus IV, life simply went downhill for the young man. The fungal plague, the "cleansing" of the people who lived there, barely escaping with his life...so far, Kirk's entire existence had been hell.

When he had moved back with his mother, things had seemed to settle down. The step-father was gone, and his mother could actually speak with him, though she wasn't able to talk for long. He couldn’t blame her really. Ever since the “cleansing”, he hadn’t been the same person. Kirk was getting used to life, but things were still wrong. Everything felt so...confined. There were times when Kirk found he couldn't breathe, and it wasn't because of his allergies. He was trapped in this life, and there was very little he could do to fix it. And that's when he got the wonderful idea to run away, but not to another planet. He didn't know exactly how he ended up at that bar, or in that fight, or speaking to a man named Pike. The next few hours were a blur, arguing with himself in a rundown motel room, and downing drinks to work up his courage. Finally, he signed up. And everything felt right. The next morning he found himself registering for the Academy, and a few hours after that sitting next to a man. A man who turned out to be terrified of space, and an excellent doctor.

"Kid...kid, you alright?" Kirk blinked out of his thoughts, looking up from the PADD he had been staring at blankly. Bones, as the younger man had taken to calling him, was looking over from his own PADD with a worried frown. Kirk cleared his throat and nodded, sitting up and running his hands through his hair.

"Yeah Bones, m'alright." He lied, shooting over a winning smile as he tried to gather his thoughts back together and try to remember exactly what he was supposed to be working on. His roommate didn't buy it and stood up, stretching for a moment beforewalking over to settle on the edge of Kirk's bed. The two had been rooming together for a few weeks now, and Bones was used to seeing Jim slip off into his thoughts. But something seemed quite odd about this time.

"You're lying kid. Tell me." He pressed, watching as Kirk pushed himself up with a low groan and strolled across the room, shaking his head.

"Naw Bones, I'm alright. Really." The younger man insisted, rubbing his arm distantly as he looked around the bare walls of the room. Before Bones had a chance to speak, Kirk spoke up again. "Ya know, we should really start decorating." He stared at one of the walls, completely oblivious to the annoyed looked his was getting.

"Of course, because what we need is more crap in here."

"Oh come on, Bones! It isn't that bad!"

" _That bad_? Kid, I'm pretty sure there's something growing under your bed." Kirk huffed and rolled his eyes as Bones pulled his legs up onto the bed, hugging his knees to his chest, inviting Kirk to inspect the underside of the bed for himself. Kirk smiled brightly and shook his head, walking over and ducking under the bed.

"Nope, clear as can...Wait, what the hell is that?" He shrieked, recoiling back in mock horror. He glanced up in time to see Bones shift further onto the bed, pressing his back against the wall with wide eyes. It took a moment before he realized what had happened and glared down at Kirk.  

The blond laughed brightly, rolling onto his back and wrapping his arms around his stomach. "You should have seen your face!" He grinned childishly, sitting up and catching his breath. Bones continued to glare down at him with a look of complete and utter un-amusement, shaking his head and pushing himself to his feet.

"You're lucky I sort of like you kid." He grumbled, ruffling Kirk's hair as he went by. The young man blinked, tilting his head up to watch as Bones walked back to his own bed and scooped up his PADD. Kirk remained on the floor for a minute more before scrambling up and frowning.

"What was that?"

"I said _'You’re lucky I sort of like you kid'_. Why?" Bones replied, not even looking up from the text he was reading. Kirk blinked, opening his mouth to speak before slowly closing it again, trying to fight back the grin that threatened to creep onto his face.

"No reason, just didn't hear you." In truth, Kirk had heard him. Quite clearly in fact, but he just wanted to hear it again. That had been the first time he had heard those words, where they were actually meant. Sure, his mother had said them, but he knew it was only because he was her son, and that's what mothers did. Girls over the years had said it, but it was mostly the heat of the moment talking. Never before in his life had Kirk heard someone say that they liked him, even if it was only sort of. And knowing that someone had said it—while sober—and meant it, made him feel just a little less like a freak.


	5. Name

"What was her name?"

Bones paused, his foot hovering halfway through the door. Jim, as the doctor had finally taken to calling him, was laying sprawled on his bed, holding up a picture of a grinning little girl who was clinging tightly to an equally happy McCoy Jim pointed to the girl, eyes still on his roommate. "What was her name?" He asked again.

Bones shook himself out of his thoughts and numbly crossed the room, snatching the picture away and holding it up to the light. Jim grumbled something in protest, but one look at Bones' face and he fell silent, sitting up properly and waiting patiently for an answer. He'd never seen that expression on the doctor before. Sure, he'd seen anger, disappointment and every now and again a smile, but this? Complete and utter devastation. The life in the doctors eyes had completely vanished, leaving a look of longing and emptiness. "Joanna." Bones finally replied, sinking down onto the bed. He set the picture down on the pillow and raked his hands through his hair. "Her name is Joanna."

Jim nodded, frowning slightly at the doctor's sudden change in composure. The usually straight backed, stone-faced man had deflated at the sight of the picture. His shoulders were hunched and his head bowed, fingers still tangled in his hair. "Who was...is, she?" Jim asked almost hesitantly, not daring to raise his voice much louder than a whisper.

Once again, Bones was completely silent, his eyes straying to look over the picture. He hadn't told Jim about Joanna, only about Jocelyn. With the wounds still too fresh, he wasn't sure he even wanted to tell Jim about her. But now that the picture had been discovered - the one reminder Bones had of his daughter apart from the occasional phone call and visit - Bones couldn't find another option. He sighed again and picked up the picture, holding it carefully in his hands, as though it would shatter at any moment.

"Joanna is... _was_ , my daughter." He expected rapid-fire questions from Jim, but the younger man stayed silent, absorbing this information with a small nod.

"Was?"

"Jocelyn got her in the divorce. There was no way to win. She'd already taken my money, and the family lawyer. I was stuck with some scum-bag who didn't know jack shit about child custody. I fought, but - there was no way to win her back. Then her mother began telling those damn lies, and now all I've got left is this damn picture." Bones waved the picture about, then simply let it flutter to the ground. Jim had listened in silence, watching the picture with a tilted head.

As Bones stood up to get himself something to drink, Jim leaned down and picked up the picture, taking a closer look at the girl. Joanna had lighter hair than her father, but the same eyes and nose.

"She's your daughter though Bones, isn't it a rule that a kids supposed to love their parents?" Jim asked over his shoulder, thankful Bones didn't yet know about his own horrible past. The doctor looked over his shoulder from pouring himself a drink, chuckling softly.

"She did, for a while. Her mother and I didn't split until she was seven. It was after the divorce that things got sour." He paused to take a sip of whatever he had grabbed, setting the glass down with a heavy sigh. Jim looked up at him with wide eyes, waiting for him to go on. Bones returned the look and managed a weak, almost bitter smile. "But, it doesn't really matter. Things are starting to get better. Slowly but surely, but they are getting better."

Jim opened his mouth to speak, to press more on the issue, but one look from Bones shut him up. The young man decided instead to focus on the picture, trying to memorize just how happy Bones looked.

_Joanna._

That didn't seem like the name of a daughter who would stay away from her father forever. And Jim highly doubted she would. If Bones was right, there would be a time when father and daughter could meet up without old bitterness, and be able to reconnect the way a child and parent should.


	6. Age

"You can't keep getting into fights like this Jim. Dammit, I may be a doctor, but I'm not your personal nurse."

Jim was sitting on the edge of his bed, shirt lying discarded on the ground. Bones was sitting next to him, tending to a rather large scrape that ran the length of the younger man's forearm. This wouldn't have been the first time Jim had come back beaten and bruised in the middle of the night. Usually he'd wake Bones up and sit on the edge of the bed, doing whatever the older man told him to do without question. However, after coming back in a worse condition than usual, Bones hadn't been able to keep himself from asking what had happened.

Jim had been very vague on the details, like always.  Through pain-clenched teeth and occasional whines, Kirk had finally admitted that he had been on a stroll when he came upon a few older cadets beating a much younger student. Two of the older cadets had hoisted the boy up by his ankles and ~~were~~ had been holding him above the ground when Jim had arrived and pounced on them. They had dropped the younger boy, who had then promptly bolted off, and Jim had been left on his own to fight off the older students. According to him, he would have been fine if one of them hadn't dislocated the shoulder that Bones was currently trying to put back into place.

Bones sighed softly as hefinally managed to pop the joint back into place. Whatever Jim was going to say died off with a low string of curses, one hand flying to cup the repaired joint. Bones shook his head and moved away, pouring out a small glass of whiskey and offering it to Jim. This also had become one of their customs. Bones would offer the drink; Jim would take it without comment. Bones knew that despite whatever protests the younger man had originally made, the drink actually helped to dull the pain and calm his frazzled nerves. After taking a sip of the liquid and wrinkling his nose at the taste, Jim rested the bottom of his glass on his knee and looked over to Bones.

"You're the one who decided to let me stay." Heshrugged, flinching as the gesture sent a flash of pain through his still sore shoulder. Bones snorted and leaned back against the wall, folding his arms over his chest.  

"You're the one who showed up at my door looking like a beaten puppy." Jim was unable to keep back his smile, though the expression quickly fell once he realized just how upset Bones looked. Jim tilted his head slightly, frowning as he tried to think what could be bothering the doctor.

"Does it really bother you?"

"Does what really bother me?"

"Me and my fighting."

"I ain't your mother Jim. It ain't my job to worry about you." Bones replied with a simple shrug, stretching his arms over his head with a soft groan. Jim was silent, ducking his head in an attempt to hide the pain that flashed through his eyes. He couldn't blame Bones for saying what he did. The doctor didn't know anything about Jim's past, only that it had been complete and utter shit. After a moment, the blond lifted his head and shot Bones a charming smile, hoping that it hid his momentary weakness.

"You're old enough to be." He hummed innocently. Bones blinked and frowned, tilting his head before Jim's words sunk in and he rolled his eyes.

"I am not. Just how old do you think I am?"

"Oh, at least sixty."

Bones blinked and snorted, rolling his eyes as he pushed off the wall.

"Sixty? Christ kid, that's a little high."

"Fifty-nine?"

"Thirty-three."  

Jim blinked and tilted his head. "Seriously? You're like..." He paused, counting down on his fingers for a moment before nodding to himself. "Six years older than me." Bones rolled his eyes again and nodded, settling down onto his bed and slipping under the covers.

"So there's no way I could possibly be your mother." The doctor mumbled, his voice muffled by the fabric. Jim watched him for a few more minutes before smirking again.

"You're also a man."

Bones was silent for several minutes before speaking again.

"Shut up and go to sleep."

"Yes mum."


	7. Date

Jim had been on many dates before and during his time at the Academy. Though, perhaps "dates" isn't the proper term for it. Getting drunk and then going back to someone's apartment to have sex, before sneaking out in the early morning wasn't really a date. Jim's dates were nothing at all like in the movies, where a couple would go out for a nice romantic, candle-lit dinner and then simply curl up and cuddle on a couch.

Jim Kirk wasn't one to just _cuddle_.

It was just after exams when Bones had invited Jim out for a drink in an off-campus pub. Jim had been hesitant to accept, not entirely sure what had made Bones ask him of all people. Maybe because it was the doctor wasn't exactly close with many other people. Sure, there were some other people he spoke to, but none knew the man as well as Jim did. Maybe that's why Jim found himself sitting at the bar beside Bones, holding a bottle of beer in his hands. Someone had to make sure the old man didn't drink too much, right?

"How do you think you did?" He asked suddenly, resting against the bar with a tilted head. Bones glanced up from his drink long enough to shrug before looking down again.

"Couldn't tell ya to save my life. Autopsies are difficult, especially when the people died from things that shouldn't even exist, never mind be common in space."

Jim laughed, having almost completely forgotten that Bones was a hypochondriac, and a large one at that. The doctor glared at him as he finished his giggling, shaking his head with a low muttering. Jim apologized quickly and gestured for the man to continue, leaning against the bar with a look of over-exaggerated interest. Bones sighed and took a sip from his own bottle to try and jog his thoughts before continuing.

"I mean, it could seem like a common cold. Then two days later you're collapsed in a hallway choking on your own blood, completely unable to move or call for help." Jim wrinkled his nose slightly at the image, but knew exactly what Bones had been talking about. All cadets had to learn the basics of diseases so that they knew what to look for—and when to panic.

"So that's what you had?" He asked, shaking himself free of the rather grotesque images of puddles of blood and stiff bodies.

"I wish." Bones snorted, brushing a hand through his hair and letting out a heavy sigh. "Looked like natural causes. Then, ya cut into the body and the person's insides explode over your face." Even at the mention of what had happened, Bones had gone white and was looking unsteady in his seat. Jim reached over and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder with a smirk.

"Hey, come on Bones...no throwing up. You aren't even drunk yet." Despite the slight condescending tone Jim had used, Bones chuckled and nodded. After giving the doctor a moment to recover, Jim leaned back and lifted the bottle to his lips. "So, you were saying?"

And so it went on, each of the men trying to outdo the other with horror stories from their exams. Bones won—of course—but neither were really keeping track of how many people had thrown up or passed out. By the end of the night, Jim had had several bottles of beer and one or two shots that had helped him through Bones' descriptions of several of the bodies he had gone through during his diagnosis and autopsies. The pair stumbled out into the street, Jim leaning heavily against Bones' shoulder and grinning like a child. The younger man was clearly unable to hold his alcohol as well as the Southern man holding him up. They slowly began to make their way back to the campus, Bones almost having to carry Jim up the set of stairs that led to the courtyard outside of their dorm.

"Ya know Bonesy..." Jim started once they entered their room, his words slightly slurred from the effects of the alcohol. "You're not that bad of a person."

"I was bad to begin with?" Bones asked with a puzzled frown. Jim chuckled and nodded, looking up with a smile.

"You're always so...grumpy. ‘n angry."

"Astute observation Jim."

"But you're actually pretty nice...when you don’t have a stick up your ass." Jim punctuated his last word with a poke to the center of Bones' chest. The doctor huffed and shook his head, maneuvering Jim to the bed. As he tipped the younger man over, Jim threw his arms around his neck and pulled Bones down with him. They landed in a slightly tangled heap, Bones wiggling to get free amidst Jim’s hysterical laughter.

"Get yer damn drunken mitts off me!" Bones snapped, finally going limp as Jim's grip tightened. The younger man quickly shook his head, grinning brightly up at the doctor.

"But you're warm." He hummed, squirming until they were lying side by side. Once they were settled, Jim curled against Bones' chest, slim fingers gripping the man's red uniform. Bones peered down to him with a look of anger, confusion, and fondness rolled into one. As he opened his mouth to speak, Jim snored softly, his face pressed into the middle of Bones' chest. Bones finally sighed and gave in, draping one arm over the sleeping man's shoulders, dreading the moment he woke up.

But for now, this was surprisingly nice.

 


	8. Jealousy

Bones knew Jim was a hound-dog, always chasing after women even if none of them stuck around for more thana night. While walking to or from classes, the younger man would usually race off if one of the other female cadets caught his attention. This, of course would leave Bones stranded in the middle of thecourtyard, talking to himself for a few steps before he even realized Jim was gone. But never before had Jim come back to their dorm with a guest. Usually just the story of whatever had happened and a brief suggestion of " _Maybe you should try it. It's relaxing_." Bones would shoot himdown, and Jim would move on without question.

So, the last place Bones expected to find Jim in the middle of doing...whatever the hell he did, was in their dorm. However, after a long day of finding out whether or not they were fit enough to stay in the academy, Bones had walked in to find Jim on top of a smaller woman with light blue skin. The woman, as if on cue, shrieked and pulled the covers up to cover herself, while Jim peered curiously over his shoulder.

"You could have knocked." The blond huffed, rolling his eyes. Bones turned away and shielded his eyes with his arm, unable to keep the blush from covering his cheeks.

"You could have put a damn sock on the door or something!" He snapped in response, stumbling back and reaching for the handle. Jim smirked and leaned down to whisper something in the woman's ear. She shook her head and hissed at him, silvery-grey eyes narrowing into slits. Jim ignored whatever she muttered back and turned around to look at Bones.

"While you're here, why not join us?"

Bones froze in place, his jaw dropping in shock. The woman leaned up and whacked the back of Jim's head, the crack breaking the doctor out of his trance. He didn't respond to Jim's question and slipped out of the room, slamming the door behind him. He could hear Jim's roaring laughter behind him and the woman's hissing snaps as he slid down the opposite wall. He could spend another hour or so outside...it couldn't be that bad, as long as they didn't get loud.

After almost an hour of lounging out against the wall across from their dorm, the door opened and the woman slid out. Bones glanced up from his PADD, tilting his head slightly at her. She looked down to him and hissed, a forked tongue slipping past her lips and teeth before she turned her nose up and stalked off down the hall. Bones sighed heavily and forced himself up to his feet, cracking his back with a low whine. He crossed the hall and walked in, knocking almost as an afterthought.

"You finally done?" He grumbled, looking to the lump of sheets that must of have been Jim. He was proven right when the blond head popped out from the sheets with a crooked grin.

"It wasn't that long..." He mumbled, stretching out with a low groan. Bones turned away as Jim stood and began hunting around for his uniform, brushing both hands through his hair.

"It was almost an hour Jim." Bones said, somewhat bitterly. He turned only once he heard the final brushing of fabric, finding Jim lounging against the wall with a smirk.

"Aw, is Bones jealous?" He purred, blue eyes twinkling slyly. Bones snorted and turned away, shaking his head as he walked to fall into his own bed. He realized with some surprise that Jim's antics hadn't spilled over onto the other bed in the room, and was thankful that his own sheets were completely undisturbed.

"Jealous of you? Never. Least I won't get whatever space diseases you do."

"True, but it'll be your job to fix me." Jim pointed out with a smirk. Bones only huffed and pulled his covers up over his head. The room fell into an oddly comfortable silence for several moments, broken only when Jim spoke up again. "You may not have been jealous, but Kadie sure was." Bones blinked and poked up his head out from under the covers, frowning slightly.

"What?"

"Kadie...the girl?" Jim frowned, sitting on the edge of his bed with a small smirk, "She sure was. Or maybe it was offended. It's kinda hard to tell with her." Bones had now propped himself up onto his elbows and was looking to Jim with a tilted head.

"Alright, why?" He asked, almost dreading the answer. Jim shrugged innocently and crossed his legs.

"Cuz I invited you to join us. Jealous because she thinks I like you better - which I don't mind you - and offended because I even asked. Not sure how she feels about it."

Bones looked at him blankly for several moments before simply nodding and rolling over again. Jim sat on the edge of his bed, waiting for a few minutes for a response. When he realized one wouldn’t come, he sighed and lay back down. He couldn't explain why he had even asked Bones; maybe it had just been the moment talking. Now that he thought more on it though, maybe it wasn’t. Sure Kadie had been nice and all but, things just hadn’t been the same between him and women recently. Any woman for that matter. He’d have to talk to Bones about it sometime.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for the awful ending. I couldn't think up another way to end it and I just...I wanted to get this posted so that I can move on to the better and more interesting prompts. I promise that none of the other endings will be this bad...Least I hope not. Oh, and don't get too used to the daily posts, I have a feeling I may have to drop that soon.


	9. Anger

Despite their two totally different personalities, Jim and Bones almost never fought. They would have the occasional spat, but nothing escalated past the two of them calling each other less than flattering names. Things had never gotten physical, or even remotely violent. Jim may have thrown a haphazard punch when dazed after another fight, but it would either miss completely, or wouldn't hurt at all.

It was after yet another one of Jim's failed attempts to pick up another student’s girlfriend when Bones completely lost it.

"For God's sake Jim, you can't keep doing this!" The doctor snapped once the younger man showed up at their door sporting a lovely black eye.

"Why not? It's not you who's getting hurt Bones." Jim growled in response, clearly not in the mood to deal with another one of Bones' mother-hen hissy fits. The doctor didn't seem to notice - or if he did - he didn't care. He crossed the room and grabbed Jim's arm, tugging the man back a step.

"I may not be the one getting hurt, but I have to deal with your sorry ass every single time."

Jim wrenched his arm free and glared back at Bones, hands clenching at his sides. He opened his mouth to speak, paused, and closed it again, turning away with a shake of the head. Bones once again grabbed for him, keeping his grip tight around Jim's wrist.

"What? You were going to say something, so spit it out." He hissed. Jim glanced back to him through narrowed eyes.

"You want to hear what I have to say? Fine then; I don't like getting beat up any more than you like patching me up, but it's who I am and it's what I do. If you don't like it, why don't you just ship me off like everyone else has? It seemed to work just fine for them…" The younger student hissed, jerking away again and wrapping his arms around himself.

Bones stood stunned, tilting his head slightly. He watched Jim slink off into the washroom and slam the door behind him, leaving the doctor standing alone in the now eerily silent dorm. He turned to go to his bed, but hesitated and looked back at the washroom door.

Before he knew what he was doing, he had crossed back and knocked at the door. Not to his surprise, there was no answer. Another knock, and he heard a soft grumbling. One more and all of a sudden the door was flung open, revealing a very annoyed Jim.

"What the hell do you want, Bones?" The younger man snapped, hands braced against the door frame to keep himself from falling out. Bones stepped back quickly, holding his hands up defensively.

"Just making sure you're alright."

"I thought you weren't my doctor."

"I'm not. But I'm your friend. So whenever you aren't hurt, I'm still allowed to worry."

Jim blinked and tilted his head slightly, frowning up at Bones. There were several tense moments of silence before the young man sighed heavily and looked down.

“Sure Bones, whatever you say.”He muttered, shoving past Bones and heading for his bed. The doctor made another move to grab the man's shoulder. "For Christ's sake Bones, leave me alone!" Jim snapped, turning around and shoving the doctor back. Bones stumbled a step and hit the wall, closing his eyes for a moment. Jim looked blankly at him for a moment before shaking his head and turning away. "Just...leave me alone."

Jim knew he shouldn't take out his pent up anger on Bones - after all, the man was just trying to help - but he was the only person around. Usually Jim would have had someone to fight, or at least a woman to distract him. But not tonight. Tonight he was alone with his thoughts, his anger, and of course, Bones.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry it took so long to get this one out. School work picked up like you wouldn't believe and I got buried under several dozen projects. Countless migraines, late nights, and one panic attack later, I've finally gotten out of that hole. Hopefully I should be back to getting out a couple chapters a week...Hopefully.


	10. Mine

Bones never thought that he'd think of Jim in such a way.

Sure, the kid was a pain in the ass at most times, but there were other instanceswhen he was one of the sweetest kids he'd ever met. He'd grown rather fond and just slightly overly-protective of the kid.  So when he came across a group of much older cadets ganging up on Jim, he snapped.

"The hell is going on here?" He demanded, stalking up to the group. Jim barely had the energy to lift his head, one eye swollen shut and blood dripping from his nose. The three cadets holding him up turned, barely paying Bones a glance before turning back to Jim.

"None of your business old man." One of them replied, getting ready to throw another punch to Jim's stomach. Just as the blond flinched, Bones moved forward and grabbed the cadet's arm and twisted it back, growling softly.

"I asked you a question." He said slowly, twisting the arm more and nearly forcing the cadet to his knees. "And I expect an answer." The other cadets had turned away from Jim, still pinning him,but paying him no attention. The cadet on his knees twisted and tried to wiggle free before a final twist from Bones sent him limp.

"The little shit started it." The man growled, looking down at the ground. Bones rolled his eyes and glanced overto Jim, who only managed a weak smile before letting his head drop again.

"That _little shit_ happens to be my roommate, and I don't appreciate you beating him up like this. Even if he did start it." Bones planted his boot in the small of the other cadet's back and sent him sprawling forward. The other two seemed ready to pounce at the doctor, turning away and letting Jim slump to the ground. Bones lifted his hands, ready to fight off the two other cadets. But he never got the chance. Next thing he knew, the whole Academy seemed to get out of their classes and were milling about. Not wanting to create a scene, the two standing cadets helped their friend up and vanished into the crowd.

Bones watched them go before hurrying over to Jim's side and kneeling beside him. "Kid? Hey kid....Jim, you alright?" He asked, resting a light hand on the younger man's shoulder. Jim mumbled something incomprehensible and managed to lift his head. Bones waited a moment for him to clarify before shaking his head.

“Right, ‘least you can hear me." He muttered, looking around. No one seemed to notice the pair, all looking up or absorbed in their work. Bones grumbled to himself and bent down, hooking one of Jim's arms around his shoulder and pulling the younger man up.

Jim hung limply against him, closing his eyes with a soft groan. Bones tried to drag him down to the infirmary, knowing that he shouldn't be looking after something this severe by himself, even if he was a doctor. After a few feet, the doctor simply gave up and scooped Jim into his arms, holding the smaller man bridal style and walking calmly through the crowd of now staring people.

Eventually Bones managed to shove the door to the infirmary open and set Jim down on a bench for a moment, resting his arms before scooping him up again. Without pausing, he strolled into one of the exam rooms and gently set the now semi-conscious Jim down on the gurney. One of the nurses looked up, tilting her head slightly before hurrying over and beginning to work on patching him up. Bones tried to help, but the nurse wouldn't let him anywhere near the younger man Bones kept back, arms crossed over his chest as he watched the young woman fumbling with a roll of gauze.Finally shefinished and stepped away, mumbling something about paper work she needed to fill out.

"Bones...?" Jim asked softly, his eyes fluttering open.

"How you feeling kid?" Bones smiled, walking over and kneeling beside the gurney, lightly brushing a strand of hair offof the younger man's forehead. Jim smiled weakly and shrugged as much as he could.

"Better than ever." He replied somewhat sarcastically, trying to sit up. Bones quickly shook his head and placed a firm hand to the middle of Jim's chest and pushed him down. Jim struggled for only a moment before falling limp and closing his eyes. "Maybe just a little stiff." Bones chuckled and leaned back, shaking his head. The two fell into a comfortable silence for several moments before Jim turned and frowned.

"Say...what the hell are you doing here anyway?" This question took Bones by surprise, and it took him a moment to respond.

"I'm making sure you're alright."

"But why? My problems aren't yours."

"Actually kid, they are. They became my problems the second you decided it was a good idea to come bother me and move in."

Jim smiled gently and nodded, closing his eyes after a brief moment. "So you're saying that all my problems become - "

"Mine. Not all of them though. If you've got an army of angry women after you, you're on your own."

"Just when I'd need you most and you abandon me? You're an ass, Bones."

"Shut up Jim, you don't mean that."

A moment of silence fell over the two, both expecting the other to break it first. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Jim spoke

"You're right...I don't."


	11. Our

"Hey, Bones? You remember the Academy?"

"Christ kid, how could I not? You made the experience a little more than unforgettable."

Jim smiled and reclined back in the Captain's chair... _his_  chair. The last few years, the journey from cadet to captain had been a blur to the young man. Had you asked him, he would have described the few moments he could remember as exhilarating and wonderful. Had any of the crew been asked however, they would have described them as nothing less than horrifying.

"Why do you ask, Jim?" Bones asked, looking up from the PADD he had been reading. Jim was silent for a long moment, seemingly lost in thought. He finally looked up at his CMO with a bright smile - a smile that Bones had learned long ago to fear.

"Remember the time you locked me out of the dorm?"

"Was this the time you were sick, or the time you were just being a brat?" Bones asked with a small chuckle, returning his attention to his PADD.

"No...The time you locked me out because I wouldn't stop bringing girls home."

Bones snorted and rolled his eyes, resting his PADD against his hip and looking down to Jim. "Well, pardon me for not wanting to continuously walk in on you and God only knows who else. Besides, it was  _our_ dorm. I had as much control over what happened in there as you did, kid."

"You're pronouncing it wrong Bones, it's  _Kirk_." Jim grinned, but he knew the older man had a point. The only reason he'd brought so many people back to their room was because he felt he'd lost something. The moment Bones had walked in on him and Kadie, it had disappeared. Something had vanished - maybe it had been his spark - but he couldn't place what exactly it had been. He was pulled out of his thoughts when Bones cleared his throat and spoke again.

"I can call you kid if I want to, Jim." The man said, a tiny playful glint flashing through his eyes. Jim chuckled and leaned far enough out of his seat to nudge Bones. The CMO only grunted and shifted a few steps away, much to Jim's disappointment.

"Does that mean I get to call you old man?" Jim asked after a moments pause. Bones narrowed his eyes and glanced over to him, shaking his head with an annoyed huff.

"No, it does not."

"Come on, Bones! That's not fair." Kirk paused for a moment, pouting slightly. "Though, as Captain of this ship, I'm allowed to do as I please aboard my vessel!"

" _Our_  vessel, Jim." Bones pointed out. "You wouldn't even be near this ship if it weren't for me."

Jim went silent and tilted his head slightly. It was true. If Bones hadn't gotten him aboard that shuttle while in the Academy, there was no way he would have ever even set foot on the  _Enterprise_  at such a young age.

"True, you do have a point."

Bones smirked and replied with a simple, "I often do, Jim." Which received him an elbow to the stomach. The older man doubled over with a soft grunt, wrapping his arms around his abdomen as he glared up at Jim. "You little shit."

"You love me." Jim smiled, ruffling Bones' hair before the man could straighten up and shove him away. Jim hopped away as Bones made a grab for him, narrowly avoiding the man's hands. He grinned broadly.

"Come on old man, I'm not that fast!" He said, moving around his chair. Bones, without speaking a word, calmly set down his PADD and smoothed down his uniform. Jim frowned as the man made his way to the lift, slowly and hesitantly trailing after him.

"Bones?" He asked softly, worry creeping into his voice. He didn't mean to insult the man, or to drive him away like this. Bones didn't seem to hear him, remaining by the door and staring intently at the wall. Jim bit his lip and crept forward again, placing a hand on the man's shoulder to try and turn him. "Come on-"

He didn't finish. Bones turned quickly and spun them, managing to pin Jim to the wall with a faint smirk. The young captain squeaked in surprise and looked up with wide eyes, tilting his head slightly before catching the grin creeping onto the doctor's face.

"Caught you." The CMO almost purred.

Jim rolled his eyes and huffed softly. "Yeah yeah, alright." He murmured, trying to move away. However, Bones' arms did not allow the younger man out. "Come on, really? I've got reports to read over."

"Bullshit."

"Alright fine, I won't be reading reports. But let me go anyways."

"Say it's our ship, and I will." Jim blinked in surprise and looked up with a puzzled frown. Bones' face was completely impassive, the smile gone as if it had never existed. The Captain continued to scrutinize his CMO for a few moments before humming and nodding.

"Alright, fine. It's  _our_  ship."

Bones, seemingly satisfied with this, stepped away and allowed Jim to go. Almost as soon as the man had moved away, Jim felt like something had been taken, though he couldn't figure out just what it had been. He stared at the lift doors long after Bones had left, unable to understand why his heart had started to race, and why his cheeks felt flushed.

He was still staring at the door when the PADD next to him pinged, jolting him out of his thoughts. He looked over and scooped up the forgotten device. He quickly scanned the alert, humming to himself as he walked back to his chair. Mind drifting away and his racing heart, he felt his cheeks flush as he made a note to swing by Medical later to return Bones' forgotten PADD. [run-on. Maybe: "…up the forgotten device. He quickly scanned the alert, humming to himself as he walked back to his chair. His mind drifting and his heart racing, he felt his cheeks flush as he made a mental note to swing by Medical later to return Bones' forgotten PADD.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Well...so much for posting during the summer. Um, too much work and other various things came up and I had literally no time to write. I'm not too sure how often I'll be able to post, I will be posting somewhat regularly. I'm also planning on starting up with a new series, I'm just not quite sure what yet.


	12. Heartbeat

Bones stared at the screen, not daring to let his eyes wander from the still line glaring at him. He couldn’t look at anyone else, never mind the still body on the biobed in front of him. Five minutes had passed since he’d injected the blood, though those few moments had felt more like days. The silence was getting too heavy, almost suffocating the CMO as he waited, praying for something to happen.

The nurses in the ICU at Starfleet Medical were keeping their distance, casting brief glances over to the pair as they passed the isolation room. Only a few select members of the medical staff were allowed to enter, relegating all others to sit on the sidelines and watch a potential miracle happen. Bones was oblivious to everything going on around him, his attention focused on the thin, unmoving line before him. He felt his eyes growing heavy, felt himself slipping off into sleep. Shaking himself out, he grumbled softly and scrubbed at his face. How long had it been since he’d slept? A day, maybe more?

“Damn that blood crazy lunatic,” He cursed, pushing himself to his feet and stretching out. The movement helped, but not enough to make a real difference. He knew he needed to get up and move around, but he didn’t dare leave his Captain’s body unsupervised. He trusted his nurses with his life, but if something happened while he was gone, he’d never be able to forgive himself.

“Doctor?” One of the nurses stood behind him, holding out a tray of food. “You...you need to eat.” Bones turned to look at her, accepting the tray without a word and settling quietly back into his seat. He picked at the meal, not really interested in eating it, but knowing he had to.

He was halfway through  the bland tomato soup and soggy turkey sandwich when he heard it.

One single, faint _beep_.

He looked around him in confusion, narrowing his eyes at all the machines that were running. Only one machine was supposed to beep. He froze and looked up to the screen, eyeing the line. He sat on the edge of his seat as he waited, knuckles turning white as he gripped the armrests.

_Beep. Beep._

“Nurse!” He shouted, leaping up as the line jumped again, then settled into a frantic rhythm. He stepped over the forgotten meal, racing around the bed to flick on the machines that were already hooked up to their Captain, in the event the blood actually worked. One of the women rushed over, helping the CMO finish turning them on. Already, Jim’s skin was regaining it’s color, though he was far too pale and still.

“Damn it Jim...don’t you give up!” Bones growled, looking down to the man and eyeing him a moment. Almost as soon as he had finished speaking, Jim sucked in a rattling breath, eyes snapping open, but unseeing. Bones held his Captain down as he twisted and thrashed, his body trying to make up for lost time. Soon, the young man collapsed, chest rising and falling evenly.

_Beep. Beep._

Bones dropped to his knees in relief, clutching the edge of the bed tightly. The man looked up, unable to hide his wide smile.

“Jesus Christ , we did it.” He breathed, letting out a breathy laugh as he pushed himself to his feet. All the machines were working, and Jim was alive. Well, his body was. They couldn’t be sure about his mind until he woke up, something that they were not going to rush.

When Jim woke several hours later, Bones had to force himself not to pull the young man out of the bed and into his arms. Of course, Kirk wasn’t awake for long. The strain of the last few days, not to mention dying in the reactor accessway, had taken an enormous toll on his body. After Jim had fallen asleep again, Bones sat on the side of his bed.He watched him calmly before pressing two fingers to Jim’sneck, holding his breath until he felt it. 

A light flutter of a heartbeat.

Bones smiled gently and shook his head, standing up as he looked down at his Captain one moretime. 

“Damn it Jim.”


	13. Breathe

_The cliff was safe_ , they had said. _No one had fallen from there in years_ , they had insisted.

_Bullshit_ , thought Bones as he felt the rock beneath his feet begin to crumble. One second he was on the cliff, talking to Jim about how they shouldn’t be standing so near to the edge and the next, icy water had enveloped him in a cold embrace and refused to let go. He had been vaguely aware of the shocked cry that had left his lips, never mind the panicked shout of his name from Jim as the rock simply gave way with the CMO with it.

He struggled to pull himself to the surface, hands clawing desperately at the water around him. He broke the surface for a moment, teeth chattering wildly and eyes blown wide. He managed one look at the cliff face before the water pulled him down again, barely giving the man enough time to suck in a breath before he was gone.

Jim stood on the cliff above, staring at the water for a brief second before diving in after his CMO.

He was expecting the cold when it hit, and managed to straighten himself out, treading water to keep afloat.

“Bones!” He shouted over the roaring waves that were threatening to pull him under as well. His cry was barely audible, and he realized it was useless if his friend was under the water. Sucking in as deep a breath as his lungs would allow, Jim dove.

The salty water stung his eyes, rimming bright blue with an angry red, but he didn’t care. He spun in the water, desperately trying to catch sight of anything that may bring him to Bones. He realized his lungs were screaming for air, and he quickly surfaced, coughing a moment before he spotted it. Just a few feet over, a steady stream of bubbles. Without thinking, Jim dove again, straight towards the source.

It took a moment before he spotted it, the limp form hanging as though suspended in the water. Jim sped towards it, kicking as fast as the resistance from the liquid would allow. He pulled alongside Bones, immediately wrapping his arms around the man’s waist and fighting to get them both out of the water. They broke the surface, Jim gasping for air and struggling to keep his hold on Bones.

“Come on old man, don’t fail me now.” He grumbled, spotting a small beach not too far off. He began swimming towards it, cursing under his breath as the waves crashed over their heads, sending both men under the water again. Spitting out the briny liquid, the young man finally managed to drag them both to shore, collapsing panting on his back. He took a moment to catch his breath before scrambling over to Bones and hovering his ear over the man’s neck. Silence.

_Shit._

“No no, don’t you dare!” Jim scowled, tipping the man’s head back in struggle to open his airway. He raised his clenched shaking hands over Bones’ abdomen. Taking a deep breath, he pushed trying to imitate the actions he had learned years ago in Starfleet. He pushed on the doctor’s still chest over and over again, his own heart pounding as he tried to restart his friend’s.

“God damn it!” He cried, and with another heave he put all his weight down on this thrust. When he felt the doctor’s ribs crack under his hands, he leaned over and forced his own breathe into Bones. Blinking through his blurred tears, he shifted back onto his knees and struggled to keep his arms locked as he punched into Bones chest. “Come on Bones, come on...”

Bones convulsed suddenly, his body tipping to one side as he emptied his lungs of seawater.Jim—on the verge of hyperventilating—supported his back and murmured soothingly to the still convulsing man. Bones slumped down again, and Jim, fearing for the worst, quickly bent to resume his previous attempts at reviving him.

“Jim…” Bones groaned, weakly trying to push the man away. “Don’t need that anymore.” Jim leaned back in disbelief before laughing and pulling Bones up into a tight embrace, fingers clutching at the soaked fabric of the man’s uniform.

“Can’t breathe…” The doctor managed to gasp out, slumping down against the smaller man’s chest as Jim loosened his hold.

“Sorry, I’m sorry…”

They remained curled together on the beach, the only sounds being the crashing of the waves and Bones’ ragged breathing as his body struggled to recover from the strain of nearly drowning. Jim didn’t speak, still holding Bones to his chest as he tried to calm himself down. He was surprised when the CMO didn’t pull away, instead tucking his face into the junction where Jim’s neck met his shoulders and going still.

Something about this whole situation seemed right to Jim. Not the falling off of the cliff or the nearly drowning, but being this close to Bones with no one around just felt right to the young man. He frowned in thought, still subconsciously rubbing the doctor’s back as the man shivered and shifted uncomfortably. When Jim was certain he was alright, he leaned back to look at Bones.

“You good now?” He asked, blue eyes wide and uncertain. Bones looked up and nodded slowly, blinking the sea water from his eyes.

“Yeah...yeah, I’m good.” He replied after a moment, teeth chattering as his adrenaline wore off and the cold set in. Jim nodded and pulled him close again, murmuring gently. His comm was either fried or at the bottom of the ocean right now, but he had a feeling Scotty would be able to find them sooner or later.

And find them he did. Within ten minutes, both Jim and Bones felt the odd tingling sensation that came with being beamed back up. Jim only looked when he was sure they were back on the ship, that they weren’t in danger anymore. Reluctantly, he released the doctor and stood, water still dripping off his uniform into a puddle on the ground as he stared after medical. He swallowed thickly as he tried to organize his now frazzled thoughts. Something had changed, and he had a feeling he knew exactly what it was.

  
  



	14. Speed

Jim sprinted down the hall, glancing over his shoulder and breathing a soft curse. Too close, far too close for comfort. He spotted an old maintenance chute and slid into it, shrinking into the shadows and watching through the slits in the grate. There was silence for a moment before a set of booted feet raced by, stopping at the end of the hall as though puzzled before picking a direction and racing away.

Slowly, Jim crawled out of the shaft and glanced around uncertainly. Gone, he was gone.

Good.

The Captain straightened up and dusted himself off, smirking triumphantly as he sauntered back the way he had come. He couldn’t be caught, he was untouchable. He turned the corner at the end of the hall, stiffening as he heard a soft grumbling behind him. Without hesitation he shot off again, arms pumping as he skidded around a corner and ran towards the lift. He nearly slammed into the door, hitting the call button and constantly glancing over his shoulder.

“Come on, come on…” He grumbled, stiffening as a figure appeared at the end of the corridor. The doors slid open and Jim scrambled in, hitting the ‘close door’ button with the palm of his hand. The figure had spotted him and had started down the hall, but stopped when the doors closed on them. They frowned in thought before turning and racing down another hall, having a good idea to where the Captain was going.

Jim leaned against the wall of the elevator, one hand pressed flat against his chest as he struggled to catch his breath. He hadn’t run that much in God only knows how long, and his asthma was not agreeing with him. He coughed softly and shook himself out, pushing off the wall as the door opened into another hall. He poked his head out, glancing around a moment before stepping out of the lift. Just a few passages over was his room, and if he managed to reach it, he’d be safe.

He made it to the end of the hall, his cabin in sight when he heard it. Soft footfalls, someone trying to be quiet. The Captain turned slowly, holding his breath as not to draw attention to himself. He could make it, just a quick sprint and he’d be safe. But he chose to move slowly, to make as little noise as possible. A door hissed open, then closed and he relaxed. Just a crew member, nothing serious. He shook his head with a chuckle and finished the walk to his room, opening the door and stepping inside. He was about to command the lights up when something shifted in the room. He froze, eyes widening in the dark.

Someone sprung forward, Jim throwing his hands up in defense as he fell back, a weight landing on his chest. Something stabbed into his neck and he yelped, hand flying up to brush against the prick in his skin.

“For Christ’s sake, kid, it’s just a hypo.” Bones voice drifted through the darkness, the lights coming up a moment later to illuminate his face.

“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt!” Jim pouted, squirming slightly as he tried to pull away. Bones shifted off of him and slipped the empty case into his bag, standing up and offering his hand out to Jim. The younger man gladly took it and hauled himself to his feet, still rubbing at his neck.

“Was the man hunt really necessary?” He grumbled, looking up with a frown. Bones only shrugged innocently and turned to the door.

“If you’d actually show up for your physicals, we wouldn’t have to go through all of that.”

“My sheet said nothing about a hypo!” Jim protested, folding his arms over his chest.

Bones glanced over his shoulder and rolled his eyes with a small huff. “That doesn’t mean you can run off like I’m about to decapitate you.” He pointed out with a small sigh. Jim sighed heavily and his shoulders slumped. He walked over to Bones and rested his head against the man’s chest, mumbling a soft apology. Bones looked down and shook his head with a small smile. “It’s fine Jim...just no more running away. You’re faster than you look.”

“Only when I need to be.” Jim replied with a simple shrug, not speaking what he wanted to say.

_Only when it comes to people I care about._  


	15. Slow

 

_I’m Sorry._

Two little words that could easily be answered with a vast multitude of things, and Bones couldn’t think of one. He just sat there, staring at the screen, fingers tapping lightly on his desk. He pushed himself to his feet and sighed heavily, deciding he wouldn’t be able to respond through the device. He needed to talk to Jim -- face to face -- to try and clear things up.

He found the Captain hunched over one of Sulu’s plants, prodding at the flowers. The young man was watching with a distant expression as the petals shuddered closed, opening up again after a moment. Kirk hadn’t noticed him enter, too absorbed by the deep red petals of the flower. Jim waited until the blossom was completely open before tapping it again, and it was then when Bones decided cleared his throat.

“Jim, we need to talk,” the CMO said, expression hard to read as the blond scrambled to his feet, eyes blown wide in surprise at the older man’s unexpected appearance. He took a moment to collect himself before he decided it wise to speak.

“Talk? Talk about what?” Jim asked quickly, putting on a tight smile. “I don’t think we have anything to talk about. I’ll see you on the bridge later.” He tried to squeeze past Bones, even though he knew that getting away now was impossible. The older man shook his head and put his arm up to block Jim’s escape from the room, leaning casually against the door frame.

“You know exactly what I mean, Jim.” He said sternly, causing the smaller man to retreat to his previous position. Kirk laced his hands together in his lap as he took a deep breath.

“Look, I didn’t mean it, alright? It just kind of...happened!” Jim insisted, looking up again. He _was_ telling the truth, it _had_ been an accident. He’d lost control of himself for a brief moment, unable to help it. “It was the heat of the moment, alright Bones? I thought you were dead.”

“Jim, I was out at a bar. People don’t tend to die on shore leave without causing some kind of ruckus first.”

“No one had seen you in three days! Who goes drinking for three days?” Jim demanded, hands balled at his sides. He took a step back and closed his eyes, letting out a shaky breath. “Look, let’s just pretend it never happened, alright? Just forget it.” And again, the young man tried to push past Bones, but underestimated the strength of a stubborn Southerner.

Jim walked straight into the doctor’s arm, stumbling back and frowning up at him. Bones’ face was still unreadable, something that could mean one of two vastly different things. One -- that Jim was forgiven and all was well. Or two -- that he was in for five years of hell. And considering Bones was blocking the only way out of the small room, Jim couldn’t help but assume the later.

Bones stepped away from the door after a moment of watching Jim squirm, but moved towards the Captain rather than to the side. The younger man looked up with a puzzled frown, tilting his head.

“Bones, what’s with that look?” He asked cautiously, flinching when he felt the older man’s hands on his shoulders. He looked down, swallowing thickly and almost expecting Bones to strike him, though he knew the man would never. The room was still for a brief moment, Jim struggling to keep himself calm in the face of having no idea what his CMO was up to.

One of Bones’ hands left his shoulder, carefully tipping the young man’s head up. Before Jim had the chance to protest, or even to open his mouth, Bones moved in close and pulled him up into a gentle kiss. The few seconds it lasted in reality dragged on for nearly an hour in Jim’s mind. He was so lost in his thoughts that he hadn’t even noticed Bones had pulled away and was watching him with a small smirk.

“Earth to Jim…” The older man said, lightly shaking the Captain’s shoulder. Jim blinked the daze from his eyes, looking up and tilting his head. Bones chuckled at the man’s confused expression, waiting for a moment of clarity that didn’t come.

“’The hell was that?” Jim asked at last, his voice weak and in his mind, pathetic. Bones shrugged and took a small step back, the playful gleam still in his eyes.

“You were talking too much, and too fast. You needed to slow down, or better yet...shut up.”

Jim blinked again and rolled his eyes with a small scowl.

“Wow...you’re an ass, you know that?” He grumbled, stepping back and pressing against Bones’ side. The doctor chuckled softly and wrapped an arm around Jim, holding the smaller man close to his side.

“You love it.”

 

  



	16. Touch

The urge to interrupt Jim before he had finished was almost overwhelming but Bones held himself back with an annoyed huff. Jim had been babbling non-stop about absolutely nothing for the past hour as they walked through the forest. Several times Bones had to grab the young man and steer him away from anything that he deemed even remotely harmful to the blond’s health, which in truth was everything that wasn’t on the path. After nearly an hour and a half, Bones finally snapped and whacked the back of Jim’s head, causing the younger man’s speech to end in an undignified squeak.

As Jim stumbled forward, Bones caught sight of a hole right in the middle of the path. The CMO reached forward and once more grabbed his Captain’s arm, pulling the man back and holding him tightly to keep him from falling

“For God’s sake kid, shut up and keep your eyes on the path. You nearly went ass over tea kettle down that hole there.”

Jim blinked and lightly rubbed at the back of his head, looking around with a small frown.

“What hole?” He asked after a moment of fruitless searching. Bones shook his head and grumbled crossly under his breath, grabbing Jim’s chin and forcing the man’s head down so that he was staring down the hole. “Oh...That one.” He said, trying to pull away from Bones and straighten up.

“Yeah, that one.” Bones grumbled, releasing Jim’s chin and folding his arms over his chest. “If you’d ended up down there, I don’t think we would have gotten you out. But then again, we wouldn’t really have been trying.”

“Aw, how sweet of you to care.” Jim purred, nudging Bones with his hip. He paused after a moment and pursed his lips before dropping down to lay on his stomach and peer down the hole.

“Jim, what the hell are you doing? Get away…”

“Oh lighten up Bones, it isn’t even that deep.”

Bones scowled and walked over, squatting next to Jim. He gazed over his shoulder into the hole, placing a light hand on the back of the Captain’s uniform, ready to haul him up and away should something come up and out at them.

“I don’t care, Jim. Just get away from the ho-”

“Shit!” He was cut off by Jim’s cry of surprise. The Captain staggered back, shoving his CMO out of the way of a spray of black liquid that came from the depths. While the two men toppled over one another and landed in a twisted heap, a large snake-like creature slithered out of the hole and vanished into the nearby foliage.

“Christ almighty…” Bones breathed, propping himself up onto his elbows and looking to Jim. The young man was scrubbing desperately at his face, the black liquid catching on his fingers and eyes. Bones pulled a cloth free from the small pack he’d brought with him, offering it out to Jim as he fished around for his tricorder.

“Don’t freak out.” The Captain said, catching Bones’ horrified expression. “I’m fine, I think it was just some filthy water. Don’t think any got in my eyes, either.” Nevertheless, Bones was already in front of him, holding the device up to the man’s face.

“Can’t you go one mission without getting some mysterious substance on you?” He growled, shining a light in the young man’s eyes. The pupils shrunk slowly, and Bones sighed in relief.

“What, jealous?” Jim smirked, though the expression fell as Bones pulled him to his feet.

“We’re going back before you get yourself killed.”  

Moments later they were back aboard the Enterprise, arguing about whether or not Jim needed to go to the Sickbay. Eventually, the Captain simply walked off and left his CMO silently fuming behind him. Bones decided to “let the kid do his own thing” and hope that Jim would be alright. With his hesitance clear in each step, Bones walked down to medical.

An hour went by in silence, Bones drumming his fingers on his desk as he read over the reports of the few patients that he still had in hospital. An engineer who’d gotten too close to one of the engines was recovering from his severe burns, but it wasn’t clear whether or not he’d be able to keep his arm. A young woman who’d caught a stomach bug from a knock-off Romulan dish from their latest shore leave. Nothing life threatening, but her skin had turned an almost Vulcan worthy shade of green. He was almost ready to call it a day and head back to his quarters when the comm on his desk erupted with Jim’s voice.

_“Bones?  Bones, get down to my cabin now…”_

From the tone in his voice, the CMO knew there was no time for asking questions. He pushed himself to his feet and grabbed the nearest medical kit before racing through the ship’s halls towards Jim’s stateroom. His mind was already racing with worst case scenarios. It had to be that black liquid, he knew it wasn’t water. He scolded himself for not thinking of taking a sample to run a few basic tests, and now God know’s what had happened to his Captain.

“Jim!” He called out, skidding to a halt as the Captain’s doors slid open at his arrival. He stepped into the room and looked around, frowning at the mess on the floor. The supplies on Jim’s desk looked as though they’d been knocked off, the covers from his bed in a pile in the middle of the floor. Buried in the pile was Jim, who lifted his head and turned towards the door.

“Bones?”

The doctor froze, jaw slackening and eyes widening as he took in the sight before him. The skin on Jim’s face where the liquid had hit had turned an angry red, and appeared to be slightly swollen. A reaction, no doubt, Bones thought to himself, dropping to his knees in front of Jim and placing a light hand on the man’s shoulder. That hadn’t been what caught him off guard though. Jim’s eyes, usually an electric blue were distant and covered in a thick milky film.

“Bones,” the young man’s voice repeated, jolting Bones out of his observations. “Bones I can’t...I can’t see.”

These words drilled in the idea that had been bothering Bones the instant he saw the opaque film. He placed a light, cautious hand on Jim’s cheek and sighed heavily.

“Alright kid, alright. Just relax.” He said, his other arm wrapping carefully around Jim’s shoulders and easing the smaller body closer to himself. Jim went along with the movements limply, hands pawing at the air until they met with Bones’ uniform and clung to the fabric. Bones sighed heavily, keeping one arm wrapped around Jim’s shoulders to hold the man in place while he scanned the tricorder over his eyes. A small dribble of cloudy fluid ran down Jim’s cheek, and Bones quickly swiped at it with a swab and tucked it away for later testing.

“Well?” Jim asked after he heard the tricorder beep. Bones looked down to the small device and sighed softly, shaking his head.

“That black stuff was venom, Jim. Something was not too pleased you were looking into its hole.” Despite himself, Jim laughed and grinned. Bones rolled his eyes and lightly squeezed the Captain’s shoulder. “It isn’t funny Jim. I don’t know if this is permanent or not.” This seemed to drop Jim’s mood, his expression falling.

“It can’t last forever right? There’s bound to be something you can do.” He asked desperately. It was almost physically painful for Bones to see his Captain in such a helpless state, but there wasn’t any time for sympathy.

“There’s bound to be a cure, Jim. But I don’t know what it is yet.”

Jim was quiet, head swiveling and eyes blinking rapidly to try and clear the film, though it made no difference in his vision.

“Jim, we’re going to get you up onto the bed, alright?” Bones said, wincing in sympathy as Jim jumped, as if startled by the sound. The young Captain nodded, clinging tightly to his CMO as Bones pulled them both to their feet, arms wrapped tightly around Jim to make sure the man didn’t fall.

“We’re going to walk now, so just be careful.”

Jim nodded, though it still surprised him when Bones took a step forward, carefully moving them over to the bed. The CMO took his time, making sure that Jim was alright, and that he wasn’t about to fall or stumble over something. After what felt like an eternity, Bones lowered his Captain onto the bed and sighed softly.

“You alright, Jim?” He asked. The young man nodded, silent has he held his hands above his eyes, trying desperately to will them into sight.

“This sucks.” He said at last, drawing a surprised laugh from Bones.

“Maybe if you weren’t such a trouble magnet, this wouldn’t have happened.”

“Oh, so now you’re blaming me? Christ Bones, you need to work on your bedside manners.” Jim teased, turning his head to where he thought his CMO was standing. The doctor chuckled softly and settled on the edge of Jim’s bed, looking down to the young man with a fond smile.

“Making fun of me now? Not the best idea, Jim.” Something in the man’s tone caused Jim to pause, brow furrowing in concern before he sat up and gripped his doctor’s wrist, shaking his

head slightly.

“Didn’t mean it, I really didn’t.” He said quickly, surprised at just how frantic he sounded. Bones frowned and sighed softly, carefully wrapping an arm around Jim’s shoulders and pulling the young man to his side.

“I know you didn’t, kid. Relax.” He murmured soothingly, his arm rubbing along Jim’s side. The Captain relaxed slowly and rested his head against Bones’ shoulder, pressing as close as he could without actually climbing into the CMO’s lap. “Listen, I’m going to go back to Sickbay and get a hoverchair for you.”

“Why?”

“I need to work on an antivenom and I’m sure as shit not going to leave you alone again.”

“You think you can fix me?”  Jim snuggled closer to Bones.

“Don’t you fret.  Have I ever let you down before?”

 


	17. Life

Outside the cave, wind and sand howled past while inside, the small fire Jim had lit was burning low. The Captain scowled at the sandstorm and desperately tried to coax the fire back into the raging glory it had been at several moments prior. Bones lay against the cave wall, arms folded across his chest and legs tucked neatly underneath himself.

“Still think there’s someone alive out there, Jim?” The CMO asked, his voice almost completely drowned out by the raging storm outside.

Jim turned to look over his shoulder and scowled at the man. “Yes, I’m sure. Three people can’t just vanish off the face of a planet.”

Bones sighed and shook his head, watching as the fire sparked up a little more, the flames reaching up to the air above them.

“Jim, even if they were out there, we’d have one hell of a time finding them now. Their tracks are under three feet of freshly blown sand by now.”

Jim looked down into the fire and shook his head, not wanting to believe Bones’ words, even though he knew them to be true. Still he couldn’t help but feel that maybe the team was still out there, that they’d found a cave similar to the one he and Bones were currently hiding out in now.

“We’ll find them.” He repeated after a moment, looking across to Bones. The CMO had pulled the strip of fabric covering his nose and mouth down and begun trying to brush the dust off of his face without getting it in his eyes. The man glanced up and sighed softly, shrugging and starting to worm out of the little gear he’d brought with him.

“If you say so.” He murmured, though he was beginning to doubt if they even had a chance finding the missing pair. Jim looked at him and sighed heavily, letting silence fall over them for awhile.

Almost an hour had gone by before the storm began to subside, the winds dying down and the sand coming to rest in rises just beyond the cave entrance. Jim stood and nudged Bones with his foot, alerting the older man to his actions. Quietly, the two gathered their gear and kicked out the small fire before stepping out into the rapidly warming desert air.

Thankfully they’d figured out which direction the tracks had been going before the storm hit, and figured their best bet would be to follow the line until they came across something that told them otherwise. Scotty and the rest of the crew were monitoring their position closely, being sure not to lose either their Captain or CMO...again.

The two trudged their way through the still loose sand; Jim facing forward with a look of grim determination and Bones trailing a few feet behind, grumbling each time he lost his footing and slid back down a dune.

“Jim, we’ve been out  here for hours. If there isn’t sign of them now, there won’t be ever,” the doctor called forward, wiping a hand across his brow to clear the sweat from his eyes. Jim didn’t respond, standing at the top of a dune. He held a hand over his eyes to shield them from the sun as he scanned over the area around them. After a moment, he let his hand fall and sighed, turning back to face Bones and shrugging.

“One more hour, Bones. Just one.” He asked, and try as he might he couldn’t keep the pleading look from his eyes. With a heavy sigh, Bones nodded and moved up to Jim’s side.

“One more hour, and that’s it,” he said, pulling a pouch of water from his bag and taking several sips before offering it to Jim. The young man took it and continued to look around as he drank. He started off down the dune without returning the bottle, causing Bones to grumble and slide down after him.

“For God’s sake Jim, can’t even give my back my damn-” He was cut off as he stepped on a loose patch of sand, sliding past Jim on his back with an undignified grunt. The young Captain watched him go by for a moment before laughing and jogging down after him.

“Your damn what, Bones?” He hummed innocently, pouring a bit of water on his hand to splash the CMO’s face to get the sand out of his eyes. While Bones sputtered and cursed, Jim stood and looked around with a heavy sigh. Absolutely nothing. He squinted against the sun and shook his head, turning to Bones with wide eyes. The older man sighed softly and looked down.

“Come on, time's ticking by,” he muttered, starting to trudge up the next dune. Jim lingered a moment longer before following quickly after, keeping an eye out for any signs of their crew mates or another oncoming storm.

The two trudged on in silence, the only visible passing of time being the sun sinking lower and lower in the sky. Several times they had to pause either to drink or empty the sand from their boots. Once more they paused atop a dune, catching their breath and looking around. They were about to continue as a light breeze brushed past Jim’s face, bringing with it a handful of sand. The young Captain paused and looked around, catching sight of a growing cloud of dust a ways off.

“Bones, we need to find shelter again,” he said, grasping his CMO’s arm and looking around. The older man followed Jim’s lead and looked around before spotting a large outcrop of rocks.

“There!” He pointed in front of them before starting down the dune. Jim just barely had time to realize what was happening before they both slipped and went tumbling down the dune. They landed in a twisted heap at the bottom, spitting sand from between their teeth and trying to figure out whose arm was whose. Once they’d righted themselves, Jim glanced back and paled.

“Bones...Bones, we gotta run!”

The doctor turned and followed the man’s gaze, cursing under his breath. The cloud was nearly on top of them. The wind had picked up in their frantic struggle and was now whipping even more sand up into the growing storm.

Without looking back, both men yanked up their masks and ran through the sand, stumbling and tripping over their feet as it became harder and harder to see anything. Jim reached out again and managed to grab hold of Bones’ sleeve, not wanting to risk losing the man in the storm.

They could barely see two feet in front of them. The world was now just a blur of browns and tans and the storm beared down on them. They barely managed to avoid being buried under the blowing sand.They pushed through, desperate to reach some form of shelter even if it risked getting off track.

“Jim! Where the hell are we going?” Bones shouted over the roaring winds, his head tucked into his chest and one arm curled up to grasp Jim’s wrist.

“Towards the rocks!” His response seemed to come from much farther away than he actually was.

“Alright...Where the hell are they?”

Jim was quiet, breath coming in ragged pants as he stopped moving, making sure Bones stayed with him. “I…” He trailed off, suddenly realizing he had no idea what direction they’d been running in. He turned quickly in place, wheezing heavily before pulling Bones along with him, still going the direction he hoped the rocks were in.

The minutes ticked by, the roaring of the wind fading into a dull groan that whipped past the duo’s ears. Jim stumbled again, nearly bringing Bones down with him. He flung out his other hand to catch himself, and was surprised when it collided with something hard and firm. Without thinking, the Captain pulled his CMO close and moved up against the object. The rocks. They’d been farther off than anticipated, but they were there. Jim whooped in triumph and moved around until they found a slight outcrop. The two collapsed inside, laughing and gasping for air.

“Good lord...I’m never letting you take charge again!” Bones gasped, shaking his head.

Jim grinned up at him and leaned back against his CMO.  “I’m the Captain. I’m supposed to take charge.” He pointed out, looking out at the storm and shaking his head. Bones scowled at him for a moment before relaxing and pulling Jim close to his chest. The younger man settled down comfortably, exhausted from their long walk and the frantic bolt to the rocks.

Jim was almost asleep when a few rocks slid out of place, clattering as they rolled and came to a rest in the sand. Both Jim and Bones sat up, looking over to where the rocks were coming from.

“Captain?” A soft voice asked, and after another small avalanche of rocks, a young woman’s voice popped out from around the rocks.

“Corporal!” Jim exclaimed, scrambling to his feet and hurrying over to the woman, Bones not far behind him with his bag already open.

The woman and her partner were in surprisingly good shape, and apart from dehydration and a few bumps and scratches, they were both completely healthy. The four had to wait for the storm to die down, but once it did they stepped out into the light and were immediately picked up by the Enterprise. Once the two crew members had been taken of to their quarters to rest, Jim turned back to Bones and grinned up at him.

“Still think that hour was a waste of time?”


	18. Flowers

“I’ve never understood the appeal of giving flowers to your date. I just don’t get it. Who in their right mind would give a dying plant to someone they cared about? It don’t make much sense to me.”

“It’s cute, that’s why. They saw something pretty and it made them think of you. I don’t see how that doesn’t make sense.”

They’d been debating this ever since Jim had decided it was the perfect point in their relationship to start showing Bones his collection of rom-coms. The doctor didn’t quite understand many things in the movies, and he often made his opinions known in his side commentary. Jim knew the man was enjoying himself, despite the elder’s protests each time they started a new film.

“Cute, sure. Just let me show my love by giving you a bundle of plants I just pulled from the ground.” Len shook his head and scowled. “And who knows what got to the plants before I did? There could be any number of horrible little parasites just waiting to crawl up your nose when you take a whiff.” He shuddered at the thought and looked over his shoulder to Jim.

“Still think it’s romantic?”

“Well,” Jim paused and sighed heavily, “when you put it like that…not really.”

Bones watched the young man stretch out in bed before sitting up and hunting around for his discarded shirt.

“I say it’s the thought that counts. The flowers themselves really don’t mean much. It’s the fact that they made you think of someone that’s cute,” the young Captain murmured as he pulled on his uniform. Bones watched him with a small frown before following behind.

“Jim?”

The Captain turned and tilted his head slightly, hands resting on his hips. “Yeah Bones?” The doctor didn’t respond, surprised by the sudden solemn expression on Jim’s face. He sighed and simply bent to press a light kiss to the younger man’s forehead.

“Take it easy today. No blowing anything up.”

Jim smiled weakly and shook his head with a soft laugh, making his way to the door again.

“What’s there to blow up? We’re just out on patrol today.”

Bones shrugged and smiled gently, following Jim out of the Captain’s quarters and shutting the door behind them. “With your luck, who knows what would happen?” With a light teasing nudge, Bones headed down the hall and stepped into a lift, on his way back to Sick Bay. Jim watched him go and sighed again, turning to head up to the bridge.

The shift passed by without anything blowing up, as Jim had said it would. He pushed himself up and bid a good evening to the rest of the bridge crew who were finishing up with their work. The Captain walked to the lift and leaned against the wall, waiting as he travelled down to his floor. The lift pinged open and the young man stepped out, starting the walk down to his room.

“Bones?” He called, looking around for the doctor. The older man was nowhere to be found, and Jim huffed in annoyance. He flicked the lights on and blinked in surprise at the vase of flowers sitting on his desk. He looked around with a frown as he walked over, examining the flowers with a small smile.

They weren’t anything Jim had seen before. The large emerald green leaves were surprisingly soft to the touch, and the deep purple flowers left a lovely scent in the room. The

Captain smiled gently and set the plant down again, looking around the room.

“You can come out now Bones...I know they’re from you.” Jim called, arms crossed over his chest. Silence greeted him, and before long he realized that Bones wasn’t there.

“Not home yet...alright.” Jim shrugged, stepping into the washroom to freshen up. He took a little longer than necessary, trying to figure out whether or not the sounds he was hearing were Bones returning to their now shared room, or just his own imagination.

“Bones, you home yet?” Jim called when he stepped out of the washroom again. The doctor still hadn’t returned, but another vase sat on the end of Jim’s bed. A simple fern with green and white leaves sat in the light, the light orange flowers mixing nicely with the scent that still lingered from the other plant. Jim blinked and picked up this new addition, turning the plant around and smiling gently before he set it next to the first.

This continued for a two days. Jim would leave the room for an instant, and when he did a new plant would be sitting somewhere in the cabin. He’d always just catch the hiss of a door shutting or a flash of a blue uniform to show that someone had been there, but he never caught the culprit. Before long, his room was beginning to look like Sulu’s. This thought sparked an idea in Jim, and before he realized it he was on his way up to the navigator’s quarters.

Jim paused around a corner at the voices, smiling when he recognized both.

“Another one? I...don’t quite understand why the sudden interest in my plants.” It was Sulu who spoke first, a clear tone of confusion in his voice. As Jim had predicted, it was Bones who answered him with a clipped voice.

“It isn’t important, Mr. Sulu. Just a bit of side research for my own benefit. And I know you keep the plants as healthy as you can.”

“Right well, okay.” Sulu again. “Well, I hope whatever you’re doing goes smoothly then, Doctor.”

“So do I, Mr. Sulu. So do I.”

Jim could hear footsteps coming in his direction, and he quickly positioned himself against the wall to look as casual as he could. Bones rounded the corner, holding a lovely blue flower carefully in both hands. He walked right past Jim, giving the Captain the opportunity to fall into step behind his CMO.

“And just who is the lucky man getting that flower today?” He asked innocently, starling Bones so much that the man nearly dropped the vase. Jim laughed brightly and clapped the older man on the shoulder, beaming at him as he stepped beside the doctor.

“Christ almighty, Jim…” He muttered, making a feeble attempt to conceal the flower behind his back. The Captain easily stepped around and snatched the plant away, sniffing it and humming happily.

“I love it, thanks Bones. It’ll match the others.”

“Whoever said it was for you?” Bones demanded, watching Jim while trying to conceal his smile.

“No one, but I know an apology from you when I see one. It’s always over the top, and it always has something to do with what we fought over.”

“I wouldn’t really call it a fight…”

“Still, the apology is sweet Bones. Just for next time...don’t turn our quarters into Mr. Sulu’s room, alright? And please...no more flowers. I have a feeling the amount of pollen in our room is

going to cause some massive sneezing fits soon.”

Bones shuddered and shook his head. “It better not.” He muttered crossly. “I spent hours trying to figure out what plants won’t make you sick and I’ll be damned if-” He was cut off by a loud sneeze from Jim, the younger man looking up expectantly and placing his hands on his hips. Bones stared at him for a moment before groaning.

“Why the hell do you like flowers so much if you’re allergic to them?”

“It isn’t the flowers, Bones! How many times to I have to say that?”

Bones groaned loudly and quickly pulled the blue flower from Jim’s hands. “What did I do in a past life to deserve you?” He muttered, though he couldn’t help himself from fondly ruffling up Jim’s hair as he passed by.

“Come on, let’s get you a shot before you start swelling up like a balloon.”

 


	19. Leak

“Capt’n, we may have a wee bit of a problem down here.”

These words, when coming from Scotty, more often than not meant a small problem that could easily have been fixed without a message sent up to the bridge. Nevertheless, Jim didn’t want to take the risk if the ‘wee problem’ turned out to be something a little more dangerous.

“What seems to be the problem, Scotty?” He asked, reclining in his chair and tapping his fingers lightly on the arm rests.

“Well ah…one of the filters has gone and malfunctioned.”

“Meaning?”

“Oxygen is going to be a bit low for a while. We’ll have enough so that no one dies, but people might be a bit drowsy.”

Jim sighed heavily, rubbing the back of his neck and pursing his lips. There was nothing he could do apart from let Scotty do his job and hope that people didn’t fall asleep in their stations.

“Alright Mr. Scott, just try to make this patch quick. Can’t afford to be caught with our guard down.”

"Aye Capt’n." And with that the Engineer flipped his comm closed and hurried off to find the source of the leak, determined to close it off before any serious damage could take place. Jim took a brief moment to call down to Medical, alerting the team to what was going on, and what they should be prepared for.

It wasn’t long before the first signs of the deprivation began to appear in the crew. Jim caught Sulu and Chekov shifting restlessly in their seats, attention drifting from the screens they were usually glued to. He heard Uhura huff in annoyance behind him, and he resisted the urge to turn and check on her. If anyone needed to leave, they knew they could. Jim had already given them permission to go to Medical if need be. Despite how long it had been with the low oxygen however, the young Captain was pleased with how well his team was handling it.

It was towards the end of the shift when the more dangerous symptoms began to appear. Jim was the first seriously affected, his chest feeling tight and breaths coming in soft gasps. Spock noticed first, and rose from his seat to stand behind the Captain.

"Do you wish to report to Dr. McCoy?” The Vulcan asked, frowning down at Jim when he shook his head with a wheeze.

“No I…I’m okay…”

The Vulcan raised an eyebrow and watched Jim silently. The Captain did his best to ignore his First Officer, but after several moments he finally groaned and turned in his seat.

“You aren’t going to leave me alone until I go, are you?”

“Of course not.”

Jim scowled and pushed himself to his feet, shaking his head while walking to the lift. “Mr. Spock, you have command while I’m out.” He muttered, placing the palm of one hand to his chest to try and force a deep breath into his lungs. He barely waited for a nod of confirmation from Spock before stepping into the lift and heading down to medical.

As he walked, he felt something constricting around his chest. He looked down at himself for any sign of what it could be, before realizing that it wasn’t anything on the outside. He scowled, panting softly and picking up a light jog. Medical was only a few halls away, he would be fine. With each step however, his chest grew tighter and tighter until he could barely draw in a breath. The young Captain stumbled into the wall, mouth open and closing as he tried to gulp down air, but nothing worked. The world was beginning to fade when he heard footsteps coming around the corner, the muffled sound of his name and a firm hand on his shoulder.

Something pressed against his lips, forcing them open. Without a second thought, Jim breathed in coughing on the mist that went down his throat. Twice more he breathed in before the world slowly stopped fading, the pain in his chest easing until he could finally take a full breath. He looked up, and despite his heaving breaths, managed to crack a smile.

“Hey Bones.”

“Don’t you ‘hey Bones’ me.” The CMO snapped, easing an arm under Jim’s shoulders and pulling the young man to his feet. “You and I need to have a talk about the effects of oxygen deprivation and weak systems.”

Jim sighed and rested his head against Bones’ shoulder, leaning heavily on the man as they made their way down to medical.   

“Yeah yeah, but can we take a seat first? And please tell me Scotty is going to have this fixed soon?”

“He’ll have it fixed when he has it fixed. Until then, you are not leaving my office.”

Jim paused and grinned, raising an eyebrow at Bones. “That makes it sound like we’re going to do more than talking.”

The CMO looked down to him and returned the smirk, though something in the man’s eyes caused Jim’s smile to falter.

“But I mean, ah…just talking is fine."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I...I don't even know how to defend myself with how late this is. School picked up, and then everything just kinda crumbled around me. I had to focus on real life things for a long time, and now I've finally got some time to actually sit down and write. I can't promise that I won't be this late again, but I'm going to try my hardest to keep updates as often as possible.


	20. Heaven

Shore leaves were something Bones dreaded more often than not. Almost every time they returned to the ship, someone was ill or had come down with a strange rash or itch somewhere on their person. He’d learned to prepare before-hand, always returning to the Enterprise slightly before the rest of the crew so he could get whatever he needed prepared before the masses were beamed back on board.

This time however, Jim had gotten them into a quiet planet, a colony of gentle creatures living by the water ready to receive and care for the crew once they were beamed down. Despite Bones’ request to remain in the more populated area, Jim had dragged him off with no explanation as to what he had planned.

After a short trek through the woods, the two emerged onto a private beach, the waves gently lapping at the shore and sun warming the sand. Bones stood at the trail, quietly taking it in while Jim yanked off his top, tipping his head back into the sun and letting out a content sigh. The Captain looked back over his shoulder and gestured for the older man to follow, already making his way down to the water. Bones rolled his eyes with a soft chuckle, trudging down the beach and kicking off his boots, socks and shirt following a moment later.

Jim had left the majority of his uniform at the water’s edge, already shoulder deep and swimming out farther.

“Come on! The water’s great!” He called, smiling warmly at Bones as the man hooked his thumbs into the waist of his issued trousers. The CMO hesitated for just a moment before pulling the fabric down and wading out into the water, diving under and wrapping his arms around Jim’s waist as he surfaced.

“What are you doing Jim?” He asked, tilting his head curiously at the young man.

“Giving you a well-deserved break.” Jim shrugged innocently, lips brushing against Bones’ neck. The older man hummed softly, hands resting on Jim’s hips. The Captain grinned and rested close for a moment before wriggling free and diving under the water, yanking one of Bones’ legs out from under him.

The two remained in the water until they were both completely wrinkled and grinning like idiots. They hauled themselves back onto the beach, laying in comfortable silence while the sun dried off their skin and hair, but only after Jim had managed to get out one shook shake and soak Bones through a second time. The older man retaliated by pinning Jim’s wrists above his head and tickling the younger man’s sides relentlessly, only releasing him when Jim was curled up with tears of laughter streaming down his cheeks.

Once they’d both completely dried and brushed the sand off of themselves, the Captain and CMO pulled their uniforms back on, taking their time walking back through the woods towards the colony, their hands linked together and swinging freely between them.

No one from the crew commented on the pair during dinner, though it was difficult to ignore Chekov’s occasional snickers from across the table at dinner.

After the large feast, each member of the Enterprise retired to their own rooms, though Jim had once again pulled Bones after him into his room with no explanation. Though by this point, the doctor couldn’t bother to care. As long as they weren’t trekking into the woods after dark, he was content to let Jim take the lead.

The Captain’s room was quaint, a small chamber with a desk and bed. The bed was larger than Bones had expected it to be, the piece of furniture taking up the vast majority of the room. While the CMO stared in contemplation at the bed, Jim moved away to light a few candles, bathing the room in a warm glow. Bones turned to look at him, head tilted curiously as Jim pulled off his shirt for the second time that day and lay back on the bed with a content hum.

Bones stood for several more moments, watching Jim’s chest rise and fall slowly as the Captain relaxed into the sheets, one arm tucked behind his head and the other dangling off the side of the bed. In silence, the CMO walked around the bed and settled next to Jim, wrapping an arm around the younger man’s middle and pulling him close. Jim made a soft sound, more out of surprise than protest before turning and curling comfortably into his CMO’s chest.

The two lay in silence until they drifted off, keeping close to one another despite the size of the bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is going to be the last chapter for awhile, and I'm very sorry for that. I'm going to put this story on hiatus for an undetermined amount of time. I've been losing my drive to continue working on this, and I don't feel like it's fair to my readers or to myself to keep posting chapters that aren't as good as they should be. That said, this isn't the end of this. During the hiatus, I will continue to write, but at my own pace. The chapters that come out once the hiatus is over should be much better (not to mention longer) than those before it.  
> Again, I'm sorry about doing this, but I feel like it needs to be done. This is not the end, but please don't expect anything to be posted within the next few months. And if anyone feels the need to remind me to work on this, please feel free to. Needless to say I tend to forget things a lot.


End file.
